


The five times Church noticed, and the one time he asked

by aerobesk



Series: Clairvoyant!Caboose [2]
Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-05
Updated: 2014-03-05
Packaged: 2018-01-14 16:12:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1272826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aerobesk/pseuds/aerobesk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The five times that Caboose talked about the colors, and the one time that Church asked him about them. (Clairvoyant Caboose)</p>
            </blockquote>





	The five times Church noticed, and the one time he asked

“Not me! I call you Mrs. McCrabby.”

            “Thanks Caboose.”

            Tex shook her head, going back to her conversation with Andy while Caboose, Church, and Tucker stood on the sidelines. Caboose leaned over, ‘whispering’ to the two of them.

            “Why’s Tex so red?”

            Tucker looked at him, tilting his head slightly.

            “Red? Dude, her armor is black.”

            “I know that! But she’s usually so purple! Why’d she go red when I said that?”

            Tucker shook his head, both Church and him staring at Caboose.

            “Dude, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

            He left, walking off to go stand next to Tex. Caboose watched him go, and Church heard him mutter something along the lines of ‘I was just asking.’

—-

            “But Church-“

            “Shut up Caboose. You’re going.”

            Caboose looked down, turning to stand next to Tucker. Church was a little surprised that the other man had done what he’d asked so quickly, and apparently Tucker was as well.

            “Dude, argue with him or something. It’s not like he actually wants you to go on some life threatening mission.”

            “But Tucker, I don’t like arguing with Church when he’s like this.”

            “Like what?”

            “So… Orange.”

            “Dude, Church is blue.”

            “No, not his armor. Him. He’s really orange. I hate it when he gets orange.”

            He muttered the last part practically to himself, and Tucker gave up, shaking his head and listening to Andy. Caboose was still studying his hands and Church looked down, looking himself and his armor over quickly. Just blue.

—-

            Church was just leaving to go inside the base when he heard Tucker and Caboose talking.

            “See Tucker; I told you he missed us.”

            “Yeah, sure. Maybe he missed you Caboose, but trust me, he would have been a lot happier if I had died on that stupid quest.”

            “Nope.”

            “Nope?”

            “Nope.”

            “How do you know Caboose? How could you possibly know that much about what Church was feeling?”

            “Because. He only gets like that when he missed us.”

            “Like what?”  
            “He was purple. That nice purple that means he missed both of us. He’s lighter when he missed you, and darker when he missed me, but that purple means he missed both of us.”

            Tucker was silent for a moment.

            “You know, I have no idea what you’re talking about, but ok Caboose. Sure. I’ll trust you.”

            Tucker walked into the base, straight past the spot where Church was standing. Church watched him go.

            _‘I hope he really does believe Caboose,’_ he thought. _‘Cause he’s right.’_

            Church looked out at Caboose, who was standing there watching the sky.

            _‘He’s right.’_

—-

            “He just doesn’t know how to say it.”

            Church watched carefully as Caboose started talking to Tex. She was volatile at the moment, since he had just made the mistake of pissing her off. Church almost wanted to step out and stop the conversation. He had gone out there to apologize, not watch Caboose get his head blown off!

            But Tex didn’t look upset to see him. Instead, she beckoned him to sit next to her.

            “What do you mean, Caboose?”

            “He doesn’t know how to say that he still wants to be friends with you. Close friends. He really likes you, he just doesn’t love you.”

            They sat there quietly while Church stared. How did Caboose… How did he even know about that? Caboose could always shock him somehow.

            “How do you know that? For sure?”

            “Because he’s really pink when he talks to you. He’s only like that around Tucker, Gruff, and Wash.”

            “Gruff? Oh, Grif.”

            “Yeah, him. He’s only pink when he’s friendly.”

            “Huh. What color is he around you?”

            Caboose thought for a moment. “Usually pretty red. Not the bad, dark red through. A nice, soft red.”

            Tex nodded. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

            She stood, holding a hand out to Caboose to help him up. “Thank you Caboose. I wish he could have just told me that himself, but thank you for helping.”

            Caboose nodded, and Church could tell he was smiling behind his visor. The two walked away, chatting idly about the shape of the vehicles, leaving Church sitting there alone, thinking back on the conversation.

—-

            “Tucker, when I say running, I mean running!”

            Church watched from the sidelines as Wash continued to yell at Tucker. The aqua soldier was jogging at a leisurely pace, and apparently, the ex freelancer wasn’t happy with it. Church was resting after a spar with the grey soldier, and Caboose was sitting next to him. Church only looked over when he heard the other sigh, glancing at him to see him shaking his head.

            “What?”

            “What?”

            “You sighed.”

            “Oh.”

            Church continued to stare at him as Caboose watched Tucker begin to yell back at Wash.

            “Tucker’s very stubborn.”

            Church looked out at the other blue soldier, snorting quietly.

            “He’s an idiot.”

            “No.”  
            “No?”

            “Tucker’s not an idiot. Just really stubborn.”

            “What are you talking about?”

            “He knows by now that he shouldn’t be arguing with Washington. But he still is. Look.”

            Church watched the two screaming at each other.

            “Wash wants to be nice, but Tucker doesn’t. So he starts getting mad at Wash, Wash yells, Tucker yells back until eventually…”

            He paused.

            “He goes green and snaps.”

            Just as he said that Wash stopped yelling, grabbing Tucker by the collar and forcibly dragging the struggling Spartan away. Caboose sighed again.

            “He does it every time.”

            Church watched the two go before turning to Caboose, opening his mouth to speak before getting cut off by Wash yelling at them.

            “Caboose, come here. I need you.”

            Caboose stood, dutifully taking off after the other two, and leaving Church alone on the bench.

—-

            Church paced angrily, trying to get his argument with Tucker out of his head. It had been a bad one, and even though it had mostly been Church’s fault, he wasn’t about to admit that. Caboose was sitting on the locker room bench, watching him nervously.

            “Church-“

            “Shut up Caboose. I don’t want to hear it.”

            “But Church-“

            “Shut up Caboose!”

            “Why don’t you just tell him?”

            “Tell him what exactly?”

            “How sorry you are.”

            Church turned to him, blinking twice.

            “I’m not sorry.”

            “Yes you are.”

            “No, I’m not!”

            Caboose shook his head slightly, looking down. “Yes you are Church.”

            Church looked at the downcast expression on the other’s face and sighed, moving to sit down next to him.

            “How did you know?”

            “You’re very blue.”

            “I know Caboose. I’m a blue.”

            “No, not your armor. You.”

            Church turned to look at him, sensing an opportunity to finally ask him.

            “Caboose, why do you do that?”

            “Do what?”

            “Say that we’re colors? It’s like…” Church stopped for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts. “It’s like you describe emotion in color.”

            Caboose blinked at him once and he rephrased it.

            “Feelings are colors.”

            Caboose nodded, smiling at him.

            “That’s it! That’s what it is.” He shook his head slightly, still grinning at Church. “I didn’t think that anyone understood!”

            “So…” Church thought for a moment before speaking. “You see colors from people, depending on what they feel?”

            Caboose nodded, leaning back.

            “Mhm. It was pretty common back home, but not so much out here.”

            “Huh.”

            “Yeah.”

            “So blue is…?”

            “Sorry.”

            “For what?”

            “No, blue means that you’re sorry.”

            “Oh. Regret.”

            “Yeah.”

            “What other colors are there?”

            “Oh, a whole bunch. I don’t know all of them, but its kind of fun figuring them out.”

            “That’s cool.”

            “Yeah. I think so too.”

            Church thought back for a moment, remembering the conversation between Caboose and Tex that he’d witnessed.

            “What does red mean?”

            “What red?”

            Church just stared at him.

            “Well, there’s dark red, that’s that ugly, angry color; then there’s really, really lightish red, and that’s friendly; and there’s a nice soft red, but I don’t know what that one means yet.”

            “…Where did you see that color?”

            “You used to have it when you talked with Tex, but then that changed to pink. Grif and Simmons have it sometimes when they talk, and Donut gets it when he’s around Tucker. And you get it, sometimes.”

            “I thought you said I didn’t get it anymore.”

            “Around Tex, no. No, you get it around me now.” He sighed slightly. “That’s why I want to know what it means so badly.”

            Church blinked, finally putting the pieces together and flushing slightly, turning away from Caboose.

            “That’s pretty cool.”

            “Yeah, I like it. I can’t think about not having it. It makes people easier.”

            Church nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, I can see how it would do that.”

            They sat in silence for a while before Caboose spoke up again.

            “Hey Church? Do you know what that nice red means?”

            Church looked away, staring at the floor.

            “I have an idea Caboose, but I’m not sure. How about we just test it out, and if I figure out that I’m right, I’ll tell you. Ok?”

            Caboose nodded jovially. “Ok! Well, I’m going to go check on Tucker. Bye Church!”

            Caboose left the room, leaving Church alone again. He watched the other blue go, still thinking about their conversation.

            _‘Yeah,’_ he thought. _‘It won’t he too hard to test whether I love him or not.’_ He rolled his eyes when he heard shouting, standing up and heading towards it, ready to save Caboose from Tucker’s wrath. _‘Won’t be too hard at all.’_


End file.
